Skip to content

Reviews

This Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce with Fermented Soybean is the Chinese counterpart to the Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Fermented Soybeans product made for the US (and possibly others) export market. This version may or may not be available in your local area, even at Asian markets. We're lucky to be able to have access to both, and from the same store.

Just like on the US export version, the characters in yellow ovals read: 风味 "fēng wèi, special style or flavor", 豆豉 "dòu chǐ, fermented bean" and 油 "yóu, oil", 制 "zhì, made", 辣 ", spicy/hot", 椒 "jiāo, chili pepper". For a deeper exploration of the subject, see Decoding Chinese Chili Crisp Labels.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Fermented soybean
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: Very high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soy
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Soft chewy soybean, chili flakes
  • Saltiness: Moderately high (670mg. per 30gm.)

We liked the US export version for its tangy, fragrant, floral umami. The recipe here is largely the same, the only apparent differences being rapeseed oil vs. soybean and a lack of preservatives. Yet, the flavor is slightly different. A little saltier perhaps. And there's a certain something about the rapeseed oil.

The terms rapeseed and canola are often used interchangeably, but they're not quite the same. Canola is more neutral, whereas rapeseed has a certain character of flavor and a roundness of mouthfeel that canola lacks. We've noticed this quality in our Two Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisps? comparison as well.

While most consumers wouldn't likely notice a difference between the two versions, our deeper-than-usual interest in such products gives us an intriguing perspective. We liked them both, but the China version has a little certain something that, for us, gives it an edge. You shouldn't be disappointed with either one.

We compared the add-on label to a translation of the jar label, and decided that on the jar was likely more precise. We've found add-on labels often seem generic in their information.

Ingredients

Translated jar label: Rapeseed oil, fermented black bean (soybean, water, edible salt), chili, MSG, white sugar.

More Information

Brand: Lao Gan Ma
Style: Chili sauce
Price paid: $3.39 /
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://en.laoganma.com.cn/?type=productinfo&S_id=102
Social media:

This Szechuan Flavor Hot Chili Sauce came from a local Asian market we frequent. We were happy to find this smaller jar to try, as we weren't sure we'd like it enough to commit to the larger 24oz. container for $8.99.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili
  • Sichuan peppercorn
  • Sesame seeds
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed/canola
  • Solids to oil ratio: Medium ~40%
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: Sesame
  • Storage: Keep in cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderate Sichuan spice
  • Texture: Chili flakes, sesame and pepper seeds.
  • Saltiness: None (0mg. per 28gm.)

This one is similar to the Szechuan Flavor Crispy Chili Oil, with the exception that it lacks peanut and soybean. Doing an A/B comparison, they are quite similar in spice and heat, but this one struck us as being a little hotter, with a bit more mala numbing. Perhaps the peanut and soybean in the other serve to mitigate those sensations somewhat. We also got a sense of some tanginess we didn't in the other. Possibly something in the unnamed "spices" is responsible.

We suppose this version from Szechuan Flavor might be preferable when the peanut and soybean aren't desired, but then we're never ones to shy away from some good crunch. That and the lack of salt make this a good candidate for possible use as a seasoned cooking oil. Just a drizzle in a hot pan to fry an egg in sounds like an enticing idea.

As with the Crispy Chili Oil version, this one could easily be a daily driver, supplying a warm Sichuan spice and heat without being the salt bomb so many can be. If we had any complaint, it's that we wished the solids-to-oil ratio was more in the 60/40 range, so that the second half of the jar doesn't end up mostly oil.

Ingredients

Canola oil, chili powder, sesame, Sichuan pepper, spices.

More Information

Brand: Szechuan Flavor
Style: Chli oil
Price paid: $3.99 / 7.05oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
Social media:

This S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil - Yuzu is new to the line as of May 2026. We stumbled across the last jar in stock at a local international market, and snapped it up without a second thought. We'd figure out what yuzu was later.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Chili
  • Yuzu
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Corn
  • Solids to oil ratio: Very high
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Soybean, wheat, sesame
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Low
  • Texture: Super crunchy
  • Saltiness: Low (90mg. per 5gm.)

We really like the previous S&B offerings and were excited to see what this new flavor variation was all about. As with the other S&B, this one has the kind of crunch level against which all others must be measured. The garlic is also among the best we've tried in terms of overall flavor and lack of bitterness.

Now, to the yuzu. We learned that it's a citrus fruit grown primarily in Asia and, although not very juicy, is aromatic and combines the sharp flavors of lemon, mandarin orange, and grapefruit. How this would translate to a taberu rayu, we weren't certain. The label reveals the flavoring here is achieved via a "naturally and artificially flavored yuzu textured soy protein". We thought perhaps the aim here was something similar to other crunchy garlic products that include citric acid or citric acid powder.

The actual taste was surprising. A spoonful alone starts out tasting primarily of garlic, but, gradually, the yuzu flavor just kind of blooms out of nowhere before fading in a short finish. We ultimately decided we preferred this at least more natural-tasting citrus flavor. And it just may have ruined for us all those others that try to add this type of bright note more simply with plain citric acid powder.

Ingredients

Corn oil, chili pepper, naturally & artificially flavored yuzu textured soy protein (textured soy protein, powdered sugar, rice oil, yuzu juice powder, citric acid, malic acid, natural and artificial flavor), sesame oil, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, salt, fried garlic (garlic, palm oil), fried onion (onion flake, rice oil, tocopherols (antioxidant)), sugar, chili paste (chili pepper, salt, rice), soy sauce powder (soy sauce [soybean, wheat, salt], dextrin, salt), ground sesame, citric acid, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, natural flavor, tocopherols (antioxidant)..

More Information

Brand: S&B Foods, Inc.
Style: Taberu rayu
Price paid: $6.99 / 3.88oz.
Country of Origin: Japan
Manufacturer website: https://www.sbfoods-worldwide.com/products/search/073.html
Social media:

We got this Lee Kum Kee Mala Red Oil Chili Sauce from a local Asian market we infrequently visit. To date, their selection of chili crisps and taberu rayu has been limited, but we were surprised to see at least a half dozen more SKUs in the category than before. We had difficulty judging how crispy the solids might be in this one, but, given the plethora of ingredients, decided to take a chance. We're always up for some good má là spice.

Deciphering the label, in red we have 麻 ", numbing", 辣 ", spicy", then 红 "hóng, red" 油 "yóu, oil", followed by, in smaller black print, 辣 ", spicy or in this case chili" 酱 "jiàng, sauce or paste".

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Sichuan peppercorn
  • Fermented black bean
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high
  • Flavor Enhancer: Yeast extract
  • Potential allergens: Soy, wheat, coconuts(?)
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderately high
  • Texture: Jammy
  • Saltiness: Relatively low (60mg. per 5gm)

Well, it wasn't crispy as anticipated. We should have known, as LKK often relies on softer salted chilis for its chili component. The solids-to-oil ratio is high enough, however, to give it some structure when spooned out.

Shallots as the only allium other than some dehydrated garlic don't bring much to the party. Between the Yunnan chili pepper and Sichuan pepper powder, the alliums don't stand much of a chance, but then the má là spiciness is the stated focus here. We were a bit disappointed the flavor wasn't more complex.

A taste of it alone was about as expected: chili heat, Sichuan peppercorn numbing. We were confused, however, when we added some to plain rice noodles. The flavor began to morph into something we couldn't quite discern, an inexplicable sourness. Looking at the ingredients list, we couldn't really point a finger at just one thing, but suspect the fermented soybean.

Well, we knew we were taking a chance, but in the end we're not totally disappointed. We'll find something to add it to that will make it shine.

Label Change

Unsurprisingly, there has been a packaging update. You may see this version of the label still in stock elsewhere. By our jar's BB date, we assume it to be the newer. Other flavor variety jars on the LKK website are shown in the same format as ours, but the Mala Red Oil is not shown in any version. Puzzling.

Ingredients

Soybean oil, sugar, salted chilli peppers (chilli peppers, salt), shallots, Sichuan pepper powder, water, fermented black beans (black beans, salt, water), soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat flour), chilli pepper powder, dehydrated garlic, spices, flavorings, yeast extract, paprika oleoresin, salt.

More Information

Brand: Lee Kum Kee
Style: Chili oil sauce
Price Paid: $8.99 / 7.2oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://usa.lkk.com/en/products/saucetype/chili-sauce
Social media:

When is a chili crisp not a chili crisp? When it's Fanpi Brothers Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce, sold on Amazon described as "Chili Crisp Hot Sauce, 8.75oz Jar, Authentic Chinese Spicy Sauce Condiment". We're always looking for new chili crisps to try. And, at a discounted price off the regular $14.99 for a nearly 9oz. jar, we were willing to take a chance. Caveat emptor.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Hot pepper
  • Garlic
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG
  • Potential allergens: Peanut, sesame
  • Storage: Store in cool, dry place, refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Extremely high
  • Texture: Jarred Mexican pico de gallo
  • Saltiness: Moderate (390mg. per 15gm.)

After we opened the jar, to great disappointment, we searched and found the product described differently. One, as "Hunan-style Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce, Garlic Chili Sauce, and Chopped Chili Sauce". Elsewhere, it's called "Colorful Pepper Sauce", with which our translation of the label concurred. This is a more accurate depiction of what this product is, essentially a Chinese version of a Mexican salsa, and a hot one at that.

No toasted dried pepper flakes. Sadly, no crunch. None of the usual alliums besides garlic. No chili-infused red tint to the oil. All the peppers are soft as if pickled, having only a little raw vegetable crispness. Bottom line: Not a chili crisp.

There might have been potential here for some chili oil-adjacent use, but the bird's eye chili heat was really all we could taste. It totally obscured any of the other seasoning ingredients. The label indicates it's intended for use with rice dishes. We might be able to salvage it by using it as a cooking seasoning, somewhere we can tone down the-over-the-top heat.

We used a translation app to discover the ingredients and other info. The label is entirely in Chinese with the add-on English labeling giving only the nutritional breakdown.

Ingredients

Bird's eye chili, green chili, yellow chili, rapeseed oil, garlic, ginger, crushed peanuts, sesame seed, spices, salt, sugar, MSG, compound seasoning.

More Information

Brand: Fanpi Brothers
Style: Hunan bell pepper sauce
Price Paid: $12.52 / 8.75oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website:
Social media:

This Spice World Chili Onion Crunch came from Amazon. The ingredients sounded promising, and, at only $3.49 for a 6oz. jar, we couldn't resist trying it.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Chili pepper
  • Sugar
  • Citric acid
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Sunflower
  • Solids to oil ratio: Fairly high (~80%)
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: Sunflower
  • Storage: Not specified
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Medium-low
  • Texture: Pleasant medium crunchiness
  • Saltiness: Low (110mg. per 15g.)

Points off to Amazon for shipping our jar unprotected in the ways we've come to expect. Not bubble wrapped, no proprietary styrofoam container, just loose in the box with a crumpled piece of brown paper. Luckily, it arrived intact and not leaking.

Some photos online show the jar packed to the brim with solids. Not so the case in reality, as there is about 3/4 of an inch of headroom in an actual jar. We attribute this to it being 6oz. of product in an 8oz. container.

The flavor is, as expected, primarily onion and chili, but it is by no means one-dimensional. The garlic plays a welcome part, and the addition of citric acid gives a brightness that enhances the moderately warm chili pepper.

The texture is good, with a pleasant crunch of toasted onion and garlic that haven't lost their crispness. The chili pepper solids are finer, but their seeds add to the overall crunch.

A lot to like here. Everything is well-balanced and the promised flavors and more are delivered in an accessible combination that should appeal to most anyone.

Compare to Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion. But we liked this one from Spice World better.

Packaging Change

The jar we received was in the new packaging, but you may still see the old version pictured here. They dropped the "Kickin'" and the "Cooking &" but the product appears unchanged other than that and the new, slightly altered color scheme.

Ingredients

Sunflower oil, dried onion, toasted onion, dried garlic, crushed chili pepper, crushed sweet chili pepper, sea salt, citric acid, sugar, smoked paprika.

More Information

Brand: Spice World
Style: Crunchy oil
Price paid: $3.49 / 6oz.
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer website: https://spiceworldinc.com/seasoning-blends/kickin-chili-onion-crunch/
Social media:

We found this Lolo Mulong's Crispy Garlic in Chili Oil - Hot Spicy at one of our local Asian markets. We're always glad to see new items to try there. There is also a "mild spicy" version, but they don't appear to stock it.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Garlic
  • Chili pepper
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Vegetable
  • Solids to oil ratio: High
  • Flavor Enhancer: None
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Not specified
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Moderately high
  • Texture: Super crunchy
  • Saltiness: Extremely low (0mg. per 5gm.)

Surprisingly few ingredients here. Just garlic, chili, oil. That's it. No added salt or sugar. Zero flavor enhancer or preservatives. Were were either going to love it or hate it.

Unfortunately, online information on this one is sparse. Several sources indicate Filipino origins or popularity, and some vendors categorize it as a Filipino product, which the label does not bear out. We're also curious as to what oil is used, the label only describing it as "vegetable". We assume if it was soy, there would be an allergen warning. It does carry the California Prop 65 warning, though, which we assume relates to the chili and potential acrylamides from the fried garlic.

On to the tasting. The label recommends stirring before using, which we usually do anyway. The only solids appear to be the garlic, and it is quite crunchy. Think Grape Nuts cereal level crunch. The garlic flavor is intense, as expected, with only a little residual bitterness.

The chili appears limited to an infusion, and the heat is not as intense as some online reviews led us to believe it might be. Either that or we've grown complacent about our tolerance of chili heat. It does linger on the palate, however.

We thought a little sugar or salt might have tempered the residual bitterness of the fried garlic. But, on the whole, we thought it was OK without them.

So, did we love it or hate it? Maybe somewhere in between, call it a "strong like". If you're a crunchy garlic fiend, you'll probably like it, too.

Ingredients

Garlic, chili pepper, vegetable oil.

More Information

Brand: Lolo Mulong's
Style: Crispy garlic in chili oil
Price Paid: $8.99 / 9oz.
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer website:
Social media:

This Chuan Wa Zi Classic Chili Sauce was purchased at one of our local Asian markets, where it appeared to be a new item. It's a store with a vast selection of sauces and condiments, so we just may not have noticed it until now. At $3.99 for an 8oz. jar, we couldn't resist trying something different.

Although in a stylized font, the label reads: 辣 ", spicy, hot", 椒 "jiāo, Sichuan peppercorn", 酱 "jiàng, sauce". Below the Wa! logo, 川娃子 means "chuān, Sichuan", ", child", "zi, son", or effectively, "Son of Sichuan", a term which became part of a patriotic rallying cry after a devastating 2008 earthquake. We couldn't find an image online that matched the label design of our jar. Periodic "refreshing" of product packaging seems to be a recurring theme among Chinese food products.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Garlic
  • Aromatic spices
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed, soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderately high (>60% per label)
  • Flavor Enhancer: MSG, IMP
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame, peanut*
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Medium
  • Texture: Sesame seeds and chili flakes
  • Saltiness: Moderate (350mg. per 15gm.)

If you like sesame seeds, this one has plenty, and they are the primary texture driver, on par with the chili flakes we'd say. The chili is still a little toothsome, maintaining a reasonable degree of toasted crispness.

There's a lot going on here ingredient-wise, and it seems to have a good balance of everything. The chili heat is omnipresent, with a moderate mount of mala numbing from the Sichuan peppercorn*. There's some sugar content, but we didn't necessarily find it sweet. The rest of the flavoring elements-- garlic, ginger, onion, unnamed spices-- have an interesting synergy. It's hard to single any of them out individually, but together it all works.

It's a little on the salty side, not unusual for this type of condiment, but we didn't find it as salty as some.

We're going to go ahead and categorize this one as a chili crisp. The solids are sufficiently al dente, and there's a good amount of allium.

Ingredients Roulette

Here we go again with add-on label ingredients vs. translations of online lists. Our jar's add-on label states what's in the section down below. Being mindful that this is a Chinese domestic market product whose original label contains no English, and therefore must have a label translating nutritional and ingredient info for US sale.

Online, at a vendor site, we found: "Rapeseed oil, chili peppers (>15%), sesame seed, peanuts, Sichuan peppercorns, MSG, salt, onion, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, spices, white sugar, chili oleoresin, paprika oleoresin, edible flavoring." That listing also boasts a far lower sodium content of 159mg. per 15gm.

But, since the jar we purchased was encased in a plastic membrane seal, we were able to remove the add-on label without damage to the jar label. Using Google Lens to translate what was found underneath, we have: "Rapeseed oil, soybean oil, chili peppers (>15%), salt, garlic, sesame seed, Sichuan peppercorn oil, refined seasonings, MSG, white sugar, ginger, onion, yeast, compound seasoning, spices, edible flavorings, DL-malic acid, disodium 5`-inosinate." Note that there is no mention of peanuts, and there are no peanut allergen warnings on this label. *We're also pretty sure what we tasted contains Sichuan peppercorn, which the add-on label does not include, Plus, it's right there in the name of the product..

Most frustrating in all this, is the fact that the manufacturer website doesn't even mention the product. Could it be discontinued?

Ingredients

Per add-on label: Rapeseed oil, soybean oil, chili peppers, salt, garlic, sesame seed, pepper oil, MSG, sugar, ginger, onion, flavored yeast extract, spice, food flavorings, disodium 5'-presenting nucleotide, DL-malic acid.

More Information

Brand: Chuan Wa Zi
Style: Chili crisp
Price Paid: $3.99 / 8.13oz.
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://www.sccwz.com/
Social media:

This Sunlee Fried Chili in Oil came from a local Asian market. We were browsing other aisles of the store, and found this one in the Vietnamese section.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Hot chili pepper
  • Garlic
  • Onion
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Palm
  • Solids to oil ratio: Super high
  • Flavor Enhancer: N/S
  • Potential allergens: N/S
  • Storage: Keep in a cool, dry place
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: Blazing hot
  • Texture: Thick, coarse paste
  • Saltiness: Zero (0mg. per 15gm.)

We weren't sure what we were getting into with this one. A local chef was busy filling his basket with a nearby product, and we struck up a conversation about chili oil and chili crisps. He recommended this one. At only $5 for a large 14oz. jar, we took a chance.

What struck us initially was how thick this was for a "chili oil". So thick, in fact, it's difficult to get it off the spoon. It wants to stick like glue or, well, close to it. No wonder that the chili pepper is the first ingredient on the list.

The jar is also labeled Dầu Ớt Chiên, a Vietnamese term meaning "fried chili oil", which sounds innocuous enough until you taste it. The first sampling was almost painful, it's that hot. So hot, in fact, the garlic and onion flavors are totally overwhelmed by it. But if it's heat you want, it's heat you got with this one.

We thought, "maybe tasting it alone is not the way to go here", and mixed a scant teaspoon into some beef with greens and rice. Things went well, for a minute or so, but the heat cut through, lingering, persisting and putting us into a full-on face and scalp sweat.

We can only recommend this one to the most ardent of chili heat lovers. Wish us luck in figuring out what to do with the remaining 13.5oz.

Ingredients

Dried red chili, palm oil, garlic, onion.

More Information

Brand: Sunlee
Style: Fried chili in oil
Price Paid: $5.00 / 14oz.
Country of Origin: Thailand
Manufacturer website: https://www.sunleeusa.com/product/d571sl14-sunlee-fried-chili-in-oil-24x14-oz-400-g/
Social media:

We received this FlyByJing Sichuan Chili Crisp - Xtra Spicy as part of a bundle containing a jar each of the four original FBJ chili crisps/sauces from Amazon. Our expectation was just a hotter version of the Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp – Original, but we found it to be more than that.

Main Flavor Elements
  • Chili pepper
  • Sichuan pepper
  • Fermented soybean
Snapshot
  • Base oil(s): Rapeseed, soybean
  • Solids to oil ratio: Moderate (50-60%)
  • Flavor Enhancer: Natural
  • Potential allergens: Soy, sesame
  • Storage: Refrigerate after opening
Our Impressions
  • Heat level: High
  • Texture: Al dente/fine solids
  • Saltiness: Medium (65mg. per 5g.)

We were impressed. This could easily have been just the Original version with some extra chili heat and Sichuan pepper mala numbing, but FBJ appears to have made it more than that. The texture is slightly more coarse, but still not anything approaching crisp or crunchy. The fermented soybean takes on a larger role, even though its position in the order of ingredients remains unchanged. Although the majority of the solids are still muddy, there seems to be more of them, with the shallot being more readily apparent.

If there's one word we could say to compare it to the original version, it would be "more". Everything in the original is here, flavor-wise, just dialed-up about 20%. So, to sum up, if the original version seems tame to you, try this one. It's more in keeping with the flavor sensibilities of traditional Asian market-style Sichuan chili oil condiments.

Ingredients

Non-GMO rapeseed oil, non-GMO soybean oil, dried chili pepper, fermented soybean (soybeans, water, salt, rice flour, spices), garlic, shallots, mushroom powder, ginger, sesame oil, salt, Sichuan pepper, seaweed powder, spices.

More Information

Brand: Fly By Jing
Style: Sichuan Chili crisp
Price paid: $8.75 / 6oz. (4 jar bundle)
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer website: https://flybyjing.com/products/xtra-spicy-chili-crisp
Social media: